Son of the Flower
by PastaSentient
Summary: Harry Potter, Gryffindor Golden Boy. But what if he wasn't? What if he was more like a certain potions master? What if he held a fascination for the Dark Arts? no slash; Adopted by Taylor1991
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Okay this is my first foray into Harry Potter Fanfiction. Pairings are undecided at the moment but will most definitely not be slash. I'm leaning towards Harry/Susan, but I am open to pretty much all heterosexual pairings so if I receive a large portion of reviews asking for a specific pairing I will most likely follow that route. Also, I do not mean to offend anyone with my description of Asperger's Syndrome or the fact that Harry has it. I, myself, have it and I am doing my best to put some of the struggles I have experienced in my own life into Harry's life. It is necessary for Harry to develop the way I want him to in this story.**

**Also, I intend no bashing of any character in this story. I am just trying to portray the characters how I think Harry would view them. Take it as bashing if you will, but I don't mean to.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story but the plot. Also, the Jedi Apprentice series is real and I highly suggest it for any fan of the star wars series. Not the greatest series, but a solid one nonetheless.**

**Chapter 1**

_Books equal knowledge. Knowledge equals power. Power equals control. And I crave control. -Harry James Potter._

A young boy of eight years old sat in the back corner of a classroom with a thin paperback novel entitled "The Threat Within" by Jude Watson. It was part of a Star Wars series called Jedi Apprentice. In these novels, the young boy followed Obi-wan Kenobi's growth from a brash young padawan, to a calm and collected Jedi Knight. The books also followed the relationship between Obi-wan Kenobi and his master Qui-Gon Jinn. The two had started off on rocky ground at first, but had gradually become as close as father and son. The reason for their relationship starting off so badly, was because of Qui-Gon's first apprentice, a Jedi who had turned to the dark side by the name of Xanatos. Surprisingly, Xanatos was the young boy's favorite character in the series. The Dark Jedi carried himself with charisma and arrogance, yet also emanated power. And that is what the young boy found he liked most about Xanatos, power.

The young boy had started reading the novels earlier that week and was on the eighteenth book already. It had surprised his teacher when she found out how fast he had read the books and she had promptly tested him to discover that he was a speed reader. The young boy could read around eleven hundred words per minute. He was not the fastest speed reader ever recorded, the fastest being able to read four thousand and seven hundred words per minute, but he was decent enough to read most books in a day or two.

The young boy had messy black hair and vibrant green eyes. He was quite small for his age, but this just made him less of a target for people to pick on. The young boy wore overly large clothes, hand me downs from his overly large cousin. He also wore a pair of glasses that gave him a bug-eyed look. His personality was different from most eight year olds, something that many of his teachers had noticed ever since the young boy had started school. He was unusually quiet and always had his nose in a book. When asked why he read so much, one of his teachers had reported that he had replied,

"Because they are so much better than real life."

The young boy's name was Harry Potter, a top student despite his guardian's attempts to deter his learning process. Harry would always change his grades on his report card before showing them to his guardians, the Dursleys. The Dursley's were some of the most hideous people anyone could ever meet. Petunia Dursley, Harry's aunt on his mother's side, was a horse-faced gossip who was considered by many of her neighbors to be slightly insane. Vernon Dursley, Petunia's husband, was a whale of a man with the personality of a blow hard. And then there was the one Harry hated the most, Dudley Dursley. Dudley was the reason that young Harry had no friends. The fat boy tormented Harry whenever he could and did his best to dissuade anyone who wanted to be Harry's friend.

Young Harry craved friendship, yet he also found people his own age to be quite annoying. They were so loud and never obeyed the teacher. Did they not realize that he was trying to read? How could he read when everyone else was screaming? The screaming also overloaded young Harry's brain at times to the point that he would just curl up in a ball and cry. For unbeknownst to the Dursleys, but known to the teachers and Harry, Harry Potter had Asperger's Syndrome. The teachers had wanted to tell the Dursleys, but Harry had begged and pleaded that they not tell them.

Asperger's Syndrome is a high functioning form of autism that causes many different symptoms. It differs from person to person. In Harry's case, there were many of the common and some uncommon symptoms. First and fore mostly, Harry was a social outcast. Not just because of Dudley's bullying, but also because of the fact that nobody liked Harry. Harry was always so much smarter than those around him and they felt stupid whenever they talked to him. Another symptom of Harry's Asperger's Syndrome was obsession. Harry was obsessed with Star Wars and did his best to learn everything he could about it. From the science labs of Kamino to the sprawling cities of Coruscant, young Harry knew everything there was to know about the Star War's Universe. Another obsession Harry had was the manga series Naruto. He loved how powerful the ninja could become in the series. His favorite character was Sasuke Uchiha, a powerful ninja who was also one of the primary antagonists in the series. Sasuke had many abilities, but his strongest ability was his Sharingan eyes, a bloodline limit that allowed him to cast illusions with just his eyes and to copy any other technique he saw. The Sharingan also allowed him to shoot a black fire called Amaterasu that burned whatever the caster focused on until it was destroyed .

One other symptom Harry had was a sensitivity to sound. Too much sound could overload his brain to the point that he would break down. This was why he was currently curled up with a book in the classroom. He could not handle going on out to the playground.

Just as Harry was finishing up the book, he heard his teacher come back into the classroom. _Great, _he thought sarcastically, _That means that the kids will be back in soon as well. _

Young Harry's thoughts were interrupted as the teacher came over to him and asked,

"Are you enjoying your book, Harry?"

"Yes! It is awesome. I love how Obi-wan is focusing on the lightsaber form Ataru, but I know in the future he will be focusing on the form Soresu..."

The teacher, a young woman by the name of Miss Jackson, just smiled at the young boy's enthusiasm. If she was honest, she would say that Harry was her favorite student. The young boy was polite and generally did his best whenever it came to his studies. Few children his age had his level of maturity, for which she was somewhat saddened. Children were not supposed to grow up as quickly as Harry had.

The rest of the school day past by slowly for Harry. The teacher was teaching them basic addition, but Harry had already mastered this subject. He had read ahead in his book and had studied the math for several hours until he had understood the concepts. As he sat in his seat, young Harry though about his life.

_Why do the Dursleys and people my own age hate me? I know I am different, but am I really a freak like the Dursleys say? Well if I am, then I consider that a good thing. I don't want to be normal. I want to do great things and change the world! I just wish I had some sort of special power like the Force. It would be so cool to shoot lightning from my hands! Or be able to force push someone out of __my way! That would be so awesome! _

_ "_Harry, are you paying attention?" Miss Jackson asked kindly.

"Yes, Ma'am," Harry responded quickly.

**Two Years Later...**

Harry curled up into the cupboard that was his room. This was the first time Vernon had ever truly beat him. Harry had forgotten to change his grades on his report card before showing them to the Dursleys. The fact that Harry had completely outclassed Dudley had driven Vernon into a fit of rage. The elder Dursley had beaten Harry until he was stopped by his wife. Petunia had seen the rage in Vernon's eyes and knew that the male Dursley had intended to kill young Harry. Petunia would not have cared about Harry's death, but she also knew that if Harry died there would be hell to pay.

Harry cried as he held his blanket close, the same blanket that had been wrapped around him when he was placed on the Dursley's doorstep. Sometimes, Harry could swear that he smelled the scent of his mother on the blanket. Who cares if they were drunks? At the very least they would have been better than the Dursleys...

Harry woke the next day completely unharmed. He was quite surprised by this, but chalked it up to the many weird things that had been happening to him recently. For example, during class the other day he had turned the teacher's hair blue. How he did it Harry did not know, but he knew enough not to tell anything to anyone.

"Boy! Go get the mail!" Vernon said angrily when he saw Harry completely unharmed.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon," Harry said dejectedly as he ran out to grab the mail.

Harry reached into the mailbox and pulled out the mail. He quickly scanned through it to see if there was anything for himself, highly unlikely he knew, but you never know. He was surprised when he found a piece of parchment with his name on it.

To: Harry Potter

Number 4 Privet Drive

The Cupboard Under the Stairs,

Little Whinging.

Harry quickly hid the letter in his pocket. On the outside he was calm, but on the inside he was a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts. _How did they know I live in the cupboard? Is it a prank by __Dudley? No, he is not that smart and how would he get his hands on a piece of parchment?_

Harry put the mail on the table and quickly went to the bathroom where he knew he would not be disturbed. He opened the letter and was quite surprised at its contents.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL  
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress

HOGWARTS SCHOOL  
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM  
First-year students will require:  
sets of plain work robes (black)  
plain pointed hat (black) for day wear  
pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)  
winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)  
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS  
All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)  
by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi  
by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them  
by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection  
by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand  
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)  
1 set glass or crystal phials  
1 telescope  
1 set brass scales

Students may also bring and owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

Harry was dumbfounded. This was either the most elaborate prank he had ever seen, or he was a wizard. _Okay, _Harry thought, _I need to prove this. I need to get a hold of an owl and send it to Hogwarts or whatever to confirm that this is real. Where could I find a magical owl? Wait, doesn't Mrs. Figg have an owl? Could she be a witch? If anybody is a witch it is her! _

Deciding upon a course of action, Harry quickly wrote a letter to Hogwarts and literally ran to Mrs. Figg's house next door.

Harry knocked on the door and happily waited for her to come to the door. If this letter was true, he did have some sort of special power. Magic! Almost as good as if he had the Force! The door opened and there stood Mrs. Figg.

"Hello, Harry," she said with a smile.

"Um, Mrs. Figg, I know this may sound weird, but could I use your owl to send a letter?"

Mrs. Figg smiled and said, "Of course."

Harry looked at her for a moment with suspicion. What if she was the one who sent the letter? What if this was a true prank? Harry certainly hoped not. His hopes were getting high and he knew he would be devastated if this all turned out to be a prank.

Harry attached his letter to the Owl's leg and was happily surprised to see the owl fly off.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Minerva McGonagall, had a tight lipped expression on her face as she read the letter she had just received.

To Whom It May Concern:

My name is Harry Potter and I just recently received my "Hogwarts Letter." Let me begin by saying that if this is a prank, I will most assuredly call the police for stalking. If this is true however, could you please send someone or a letter explaining this new world? I have never heard of magic (other than in fairy tales) before. Can you actually do magic? Or are you some weird cult who believes you can do it?

Now for my questions about this new world if this is indeed a real world and not some prank. Is wizardry hereditary? Were my parents wizards? If so why did they die in a car crash? Certainly magic could defend against something as simple as that?

Also, what kind of jobs are available in this world? Can you use a degree from Hogwarts in the real world? What are all of these weird subjects you teach? Is there not any basic classes like math or English? If not, how can you expect to ever advance in the realm of sciences or even understanding the basics of magic? How does magic exist? Where does magic come from? Also, are there any wizards or witches who are famous in the "real world?" Like was Albert Einstein secretly a wizard? I would very much appreciate it if you answered these questions in a letter or sent someone who could explain this world to me.

Thank you very much for your time,

Harry James Potter

Minerva McGonagall had never been more furious with Albus Dumbledore in her life. The poor boy knew nothing about magic whatsoever! He even thought that his parents, James and Lily Potter, had died in a car crash! The absurdity of it all!

The transfiguration Professor quickly got up from her desk and walked down the halls with a fury that sent the paintings gossiping. As she was walking she unfortunately bumped into Filius Flitwick, the Charms Professor.

"Goodness Minerva! Is everything alright?"

"No, it is not! Read this!"

Filius quickly read the letter she had handed him and felt himself grow pale. Harry Potter, son of one of his favorite students, Lily Potter, knew nothing about magic! It would have been laughable if the situation had not been so grave. Filius knew now why the Transfiguration Mistress was so upset. He would not be surprised if she end up hexing the ancient Headmaster; however, to prevent her from doing anything disastrous, he figured it would be best if he came along to provide a cool head.

The two professors walked briskly towards the Headmaster's office. When they reached the gargoyle guarding the office, Minerva angrily said

"Jolly Ranchers."

The professors entered the Headmaster's office and were surprised to see him feeding Fawkes a weird pie looking food.

"What are you feeding Fawkes this time, Headmaster?" Filius asked in exasperation.

"It is a muggle food that is quite popular. I believe it is called Pizza. Fawkes seems to like it," Dumbledore replied with a twinkle in his eye.

"Albus," Minerva began, "We need to talk."

"What about, Minerva?" Dumbledore asked seriously. He recognized the hidden fury beneath McGonagall's voice and prepared himself accordingly.

"Read this!" Minerva spat.

As Albus Dumbledore read the letter, the normal twinkle in his eyes dimmed. He looked up from the letter and said sadly,

"It appears I have made a mistake. I believe we must rectify this problem immediately. Filius, would you be kind enough to see to Mr. Potter. It appears that he will have many questions and who better to send than a Ravenclaw?"

"Of course, Headmaster. I shall floo to Mrs. Figg's house as soon as I can."

"Thank you, now I believe Minerva will have some choice words for me."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry sat in Mrs. Figg's living room surrounded by cats as Mrs. Figg gave him vivid descriptions of Hogwarts and what magic could do. After he had sent the letter, Mrs. Figg had asked him whether or not he had received his Hogwarts letter yet which led to Harry asking many questions. He had quickly come to the realization that this world was real. Mrs. Figg was not smart enough to create such a fantastical world. It was from Mrs. Figg that Harry learned that he was the Boy-Who-Lived and his parents had died defending him from Voldemort.

Harry felt an intense anger towards the Dursleys building. They had robbed him of not only his dignity by making him live in a cupboard, but also his heritage. Harry swore then and there that he would never let anyone control him like this again. He would take control over his own life. Just as he was about to ask Mrs. Figg about the types of magic, he was shocked to see a short man walk out of the fireplace. That cinched it, magic was real. The short man smiled as he saw Harry and quickly greeted Mrs. Figg before walking over to Harry and saying,

"Hello, Harry, my name is Filius Flitwick, Charms Professor at Hogwarts. You may call me Professor Flitwick or just Professor. Now I am sure you have many questions and I will do my best to answer them. Ask whatever you want."

Harry's eyes lit up in excitement. Knowledge would be his! Harry began by saying,

"Well, I have been talking with Mrs. Figg for the past three hours about everything in this world. She already told me about my parents and the Dark Lord, but she could not tell me much about magic itself since she is what you call a squib. So I'll start with a question I asked in my letter, where does magic come from?"

Filius chuckled as he recognized the enthusiasm in Harry's eyes and felt himself excited to talk about one of his favorite subjects.

"Magic, Mr. Potter, comes from life. It surrounds us and exists in the very air. However, magic also exists inside of us which allows us to control the magic outside of us."

"Kind of like the midi-chlorians in Star Wars?" Harry asked.

Filius despite not being muggle-born, or even fully human considering he was a half-goblin, knew what Harry was talking about. The Charms Professor had once visited a muggle-born's home and had been entranced by the movie the young witch had been watching. He had promptly sat down and watched all six movies in one sitting.

"Yes, Mr. Potter," Filius chuckled again, "Your comparison is surprisingly accurate. However only the most powerful of Wizards could do what the Jedi do without a wand, but then again, a wizard can do a whole lot more with his or her wand than a Jedi could ever dream of doing."

Harry smiled at the thought of being able to do more than a Jedi. He was then reminded of the question he was planning on asking Mrs. Figg.

"What types or branches of magic are there?" Harry asked.

"Well, first there is Charms, which I teach. Charms is a type of enchantment that causes an object or element to behave in a way that it would not normally act. For example, the Accio charm causes an object to come towards you while the Flamma Gelidus charm causes hot flames to do nothing more than make you feel a warm breeze."

"Fascinating," Harry said, "Are there any offensive charms that could be used in battle?"

"Yes, in fact most offensive spells fall under both the category of charms and the category of battle magic. For example, the Diffindo charm cuts your opponent while the Protego charm would defend against most attacks minus the Unforgivables."

"Mrs. Figg told me about the Unforgivables. Very dangerous from what I can tell."

"Extremely! And to be caught casting one would land you in Azkaban, the wizarding prison. Now onto the next branch, transfiguration. Transfiguration is the art of changing something into something else. There are two sub-branches in transfiguration: self-transfiguration and conjuration. Self-transfiguration causes you to change yourself into something else. Very dangerous for an amateur. Do not attempt this without a Transfiguration Master present. Conjuration, while less dangerous, is also harder. It is the art of changing nothing into something. Or to be more exact, the art of changing the air around you into something."

"Sound difficult," Harry said thoughtfully. If he could master these things, it would grant him so much more control over his life.

"Indeed. The next branch, while still magic, is not wand based. It is potions. Potions can be used for many things, from healing to poison. I suggest you study up on your potions before coming to Hogwarts. Professor Snape, the Potions Professor, is a very harsh taskmaster."

"I will definitely do that, Sir. Thank you for the warning."

"The next and final branch would be the Dark Arts. I will not go into those, but suffice to say, practicing the Dark Arts will land you into a heap of trouble with the Ministry of Magic."

Harry's felt his interest piqued at the thought of the Dark Arts. They sounded quite like the Dark Side in Star Wars; and Harry had always admired the Sith Lords, despite their losses against the Jedi.

"Um, how will I know if a spell is dark?" Harry asked innocently.

"Dark spells require intense emotions to use. A master of the Dark Arts is a master of his emotions. A master would be able to manipulate his emotions to where they were suitable for the spell he wanted to use. Another form of magic that many consider to be the Dark Arts, but really only skim the surface, would be the Mind Arts like Leglimency and Occulumency. Leglimency is the art of reading someone's mind while Occulumency is the art of protecting one's mind from Leglimency."

Harry felt anger at the thought of someone being able to read his mind and quickly decided that one of the first things he would learn would be Occulumency. _I wonder if they have books on Occulumency, _Harry thought.

"Well, as much fun as it has been talking with you about magic, Mr. Potter, I'm afraid I cannot tell you much more about it or else we would be sitting here for years. You will learn plenty about it once you go to Hogwarts. Now, let us go. You need to get your school supplies and I am going to accompany you. We do need to tell your guardians where we are headed however. Do they know anything about you receiving your letter?"

"No, sir."

"Well, lets go tell them then."

Harry cringed at the thought of telling the Dursleys. He would be beaten for sure. Filius noticed this look and felt anger at the Dursleys enter his heart. While he was not as skilled as Dumbledore, Filius had trained in the art of Occulumency and Leglimency. Deciding to risk it, Filius briefly scanned young Harry's surface thoughts and felt himself disgusted at the abuse the young boy had been through. Filius wanted to hex the Dursleys into oblivion, but knew he could not because of a conversation he had had with Dumbledore many years ago.

_"Professor Dumbledore, you know Lily was one of my favorite students; surely you could tell me where Harry is, just in the event that something happened to you or Minerva."_

_ Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a few minutes before deciding upon a course of action._

_ "I will reveal to you Harry's location, but I need a Wizard's Oath from you that you shall do __nothing regarding Harry's living situation or life without my permission. In the event of my death, you shall be released from this oath."_

_ "Very well, Headmaster," Filius agreed somewhat warily._

Filius and Harry walked over to the Dursley's house and rang the doorbell. The door opened to reveal a pudgy Dudley Dursley. The young bully looked at the Charm's Professor and scoffed.

"Finally found someone just as freakish as you are, freak!" Dudley said towards Harry.

Harry just cringed and thought of all the things he could do towards Dudley once he learned magic. Filius, however, had gone red in the face and in a manly voice completely unexpected from one so small said,

"Listen here you brat, call your mom and dad and we are going to have a talk. Now go before I turn you into the pig you are!"

Dudley laughed at Filius, but was surprised when the Master Dueler pulled out his wand, a nine and a half inch long wand with willow wood and a unicorn hair core, and promptly cast a spell,

"Tribuo sus Penis!"

Harry burst out laughing as a pig's tail grew from Dudley's butt. Filius smirked as he told Harry,

"You may have noticed that the language was Latin. Most spells are in Latin; although there are some in Gaelic and Welsh."

Harry nodded as he tried to contain his laughter. His laughter promptly died, however, when he saw Vernon approach. Vernon took in the scene before him, Dudley on the ground crying with a pig's tail and the freak and another freak standing right there. Vernon felt his face go red and ran back inside to grab his pistol. He was stopped, however, by a quick incarceration spell by Flitwick.

"There is no need to get angry, Mr. Dursley. I shall remove the spell from your son and yourself in a minute. Now, Harry and I are going to get his school supplies and he will be staying at a pub in Diagon Alley until school starts. You may rest assured that he shall be back in one year's time. If you attempt to harm him in any way when he returns, we will know and you will die a very painful death. Understood?"

Vernon wisely nodded and Filius motioned with his wand, releasing both Dursleys from his spells. Vernon continued to lay there, too scared to move, as Harry and Filius left.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry felt his eyes grow wide as he took in the sights of Diagon Alley. He could literally feel the magic in the air. It was like a pleasant hum in the background. However, all the noise in the background from the chatter of the wizards and witches caused his brain to start hurting. _I will not break down! I will not let my Asperger's Syndrome win! _Harry thought furiously. He would not show any weakness!

Harry felt his brain begin to pound and he knew he was going to break down, but then the strangest thing happened. The magic in young Harry's body began to soothe his mind. It was like cool water was being run through his brain, washing his mind of all the stress the noise caused. Harry felt himself relax for a moment and instinctively knew he would never have another breakdown because of too much noise again. It would still irritate him of course, but not to the extent that he would break down.

"First," Filius, oblivious to Harry's internal battle and the victory that had just been won, said, "We need to get your money from Gringotts, the wizarding world's bank. The Potter family was quite rich so I am sure we will have plenty of money for your shopping today."

Harry smiled at the thought of having his own money. Money would allow him access to places and dreams he would otherwise not be able to achieve. The two walked into Gringotts and Harry shivered as he read the inscription on the wall:

"_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, _

_beware_ _Of finding more than treasure there.''_

Harry and Filius walked up to a goblin and explained that they were there for Harry's money.

"Does Mr. Potter," the goblin said disdainfully, "Have his vault key?"

Filius pulled the key out of his pocket and the two wizards were quickly taken down to Harry's vault. Harry entered the vault and was amazed at how much gold was there. He already knew about Galleons, sickles, and knuts from Mrs. Figg. He estimated that there was around a hundred thousand galleons in his vault. Filius said,

"This is just your trust vault until you graduate Hogwarts, once you graduate you will have access to the full Potter Vaults. From what I understand, the Potter Vaults contain a lot more gold than this and hundreds of books on spells and spell theory."

Harry felt himself disappointed at the thought of not being able to reach those books until he graduated, but quickly dismissed it for something to think about in the future.

"Now onto Madame Malkin's..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry felt himself growing extremely tired. They had visited every shop including the book store where Harry had bought himself not only the basic school books, but also some advanced books that talked about battle magic and using transfiguration in combat. He had also bought several advanced books on potions such as Most Potente Potions. Filius had been wary about letting Harry buying that one, but Harry had quickly persuaded Filius with his skills of manipulation.

Manipulation; Harry was adept at it. He was not polite to adults or studied because he actually wanted to. He did it because he knew it would get him ahead in the world. He knew it would give him more control. Well, not consciously anyway, but subconsciously, Harry was a manipulator.

The two wizards were onto their last stop, Ollivander's Wand's. As soon as Harry walked into the store, he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Something was creepy about this place. He was about to leave when he heard someone come up from behind him.

"Greetings, Mr. Potter! I have been-"

"Can we please just get my wand?" Harry asked in exasperation, "It has been a very long day and I am eager to go to my room and sleep."

"Of course! Of course, Mr. Potter! Let's get right to it then shall we? Which hand do you write with?"

"My right."

"Very well then, try this wand..."

And so it went for a while. Ollivander would hand Harry a wand and then quickly snatch it away. Harry felt himself growing even more irritable. It had been a long day and he wanted nothing more than to find a copy of Shonen Jump and read the latest Naruto chapter.

"I wonder.." Ollivander said eventually, "Try this wand, Holly wood with a phoenix feather for a core."

Harry grabbed the wand irritably and was immediately surprised when the wand cracked right down the middle. Ollivander looked at the wand in irritation. Filius looked incredibly surprised, never had he heard of a wand breaking just from someone touching it. Ollivander broke the silence with a gleeful voice,

"It appears I shall have to make you a custom wand, Mr. Potter. It has been years since I have had to do that! Understand now, Mr. Potter, that to do this I will have to ask some very personal questions. So personal, that I am going to have to ask your escort to leave. Filius, if you please?"

Filius nodded and walked outside to an ice-cream shop. Harry felt himself grow a little nervous without the presence of the Professor but was pleasantly surprised when Ollivander offered him a chair.

"This might take a little while. For me to create a custom wand, I have to know the person I am making it for very well. So let us begin shall we? First question, what house do you believe you will be sorted into at Hogwarts?"

Harry crinkled his head into thought. Mrs. Figg had mentioned something about the houses but did not really go into detail.

"I don't know to be honest. What houses are there?"

Ollivander smiled as he began to give an explanation of the four houses,

"The four houses of Hogwarts are named after the Four Founders: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. The house of Gryffindor prizes courage and friendship. They are generally light wizards or witches who fight against the dark. However, they are not the smartest bunch. They tend to act rashly and without thought.

The House of Hufflepuff prizes loyalty and hard work. They are generally light wizards or witches as well. However, like Gryffindor, they are not the smartest or the most talented.

The House of Ravenclaw prizes intelligence and a desire to learn. They are generally gray wizards or witches who do not care for semantics and focus primarily on knowledge. However they are also so absorbed in their books that they generally do not have many friends and as such do not ever rise to much in the arena of politics.

The final house is Slytherin, which prizes cunning and ambition. They are generally dark or gray wizards. Many Slytherins believe in blood purity or basically the subjugation of muggles or muggle-borns. Another downfall of Slytherins would be that they can sometimes be too ambitious. Unfortunately, the Slytherin house is no longer what it once was. Many Slytherins are nowhere near as cunning as they should be. They are mainly made up of bullies who focus on blood purity; which is sad because while Salazar Slytherin did not want muggle-borns to enter Hogwarts, he did not believe they were inferior. In fact, it was only because of the persecution wizards and witches were facing that he did not want muggle-borns to enter Hogwarts. Quite sad really. Personally, I believe Slytherins have a bad rapport because there has not been a truly cunning or powerful Slytherin in a long time who actually wanted to better the world than destroy. I believe that if one Slytherin could change the views of their house to what Salazar truly intended the world would be a much better place."

Harry listened with rapt attention as Ollivander described the houses, both their good points and their bad. As soon as Ollivander finished, Harry thought for a few minutes before saying,

"I think I would be a Slytherin. I have ambition and cunning."

"Very well, now what is your opinion on the Dark Arts? Don't worry, whatever is said here between us stays between us."

"I find them fascinating from what I have heard so far. To have that type of control over people would be very beneficial to me."

"Hmm, next question, what is your opinion on love?"

Harry thought for a few minutes before saying,

"I believe everyone has a soul mate out there and once you find that person you should stick with them. I believe love is a choice. Once you choose to love there is no going back. Even if you don't "feel" it, you should still choose to love."

"Very Hufflepuff of you," Ollivander said with a smirk, "Next question, do you have any disabilities? Sometimes that can affect the wand you need."

Harry looked at Ollivander suspiciously, only himself and his teachers knew about his Asperger's Syndrome. Surely it could not hurt to tell one more?

"Um, I have Asperger's Syndrome."

"Ah, that should explain why the Phoenix wand cracked. Phoenixes are creatures of healing. The feather in the wand was trying to get out and heal you. Unfortunately, even the most powerful of Phoenixes could not heal a mental disorder."

Harry shook his head,

"I am who I am. I would not change myself at all."

"Very well then, I think I can safely say what wand will fit you best. I believe an eleven inch ash wand with the blood of a vampire will work nicely!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry laid in bed that night reading his potions books. He was tempted to go to Knockturn Alley, but knew he would probably end up getting raped or something in that dark alley. Perhaps in a few years? The day had gone by nicely, albeit irritatingly. It had take around five hours at Ollivander's before he got his wand. He had felt a thrill of delight pass through him as he held the ebony wand. It felt like it was perfectly attuned to his magic.  
Harry was currently staying in a room Professor Flitwick had rented for him at the Leaky Cauldron. Harry liked the half-goblin and could not wait to start his charms class.

The next few days past by in a blur for Harry. Harry never left his room unless it was to eat. He spent the rest of his time reading and re-reading his school books. So far he had read all of them and was now doing his best to commit them to memory. He could safely say that he knew the theory behind most of the magics he was going to be learning fairly well. He only hoped he would do well when it came time for the practical work.  
Finally it was time to head to Platform 9 and ¾. Harry waited outside the wall with his trunk. He felt himself feeling very wary of just running at a wall. Cautiously, he walked up to the wall and put his hand through. Satisfied that his hand had gone through, young Harry walked onto the platform and grimaced as he heard hundreds of children yelling and screaming. While he would not have a break down, that did not stop him from feeling intense irritation at the children. Harry lugged his trunk onto the train and entered into an empty compartment. He pulled out a book and began to read.

Some minutes into his reading, he heard the door open and felt irritation at not being able to alone anymore. Sure, Harry desired friends, but not to the point that he would give up reading to spend time with them.

"Hey, all the other compartments are full, can I sit here?" asked a pale red head.

Harry felt his irritation hit its peak at the lie.

"Liar. There are hundreds of compartments on this train. Go find another one!"

"But, but, your Harry Potter!"

"Yeah, I noticed, now bugger off!" Harry said angrily.

The young boy angrily walked off, mad that his plan to befriend the boy-who-lived had failed.

Several hours past, and Harry was once again interrupted as a bushy-haired girl and a pudgy, but not overly so, boy opened the compartment. The girl asked,

"Have you seen a toad named Trevor? Neville here lost him."

Harry looked up from his book and then back down on the book. The spell didn't seem that hard...

"Accio Trevor!" Harry said with a quick thrust of his wand.

He heard several squeals as a toad flew through the corridors. Neville let out a cry of delight as Trevor landed in his arms. The Longbottom Heir quickly and profusely thanked Harry and then they left, leaving Harry to the comfort of his book. He had noticed that the bushy-haired girl had not given her name. She seemed quite jealous after he had performed that spell.

Another hour past without event, and then the door opened to a young boy and his two minions, who vaguely reminded Harry of Dudley.

"Hi, I'm Draco Malfoy and this is Vincent and Crabbe. Your Harry Potter, I heard what you did to that Weasel, the red head earlier. Want to be frien-"

"Get out, I'm reading," Harry said. He knew a pansy when he saw one and had no intentions of being friends with an inbred aristocrat who could barely put on his underwear by himself.

"But-"

"No buts, get out before I hex you," Harry said calmly.

"Ha, you can't do mag-"

"Rictusempra!" Harry said with a twirl of his wand.

The hex hit Malfoy and he fell to the ground laughing. Vincent and Crabbe were about to attack Harry but they were both hit by the tickling charm. Harry quickly shut the door and sighed. Back to his book.

The rest of the ride past without any interruptions. As Harry left the train, he saw a giant of a man yelling out,

"Firs' 'ears! Firs' 'ears o'er 'ere!"

Harry felt his growing head ache bloom as he tried to make sense of the giants words. It seemed the man wanted Harry to follow him onto a boat across the lake. _Very well, _Harry thought with irritation.

The boat ride was fairly quick, but Harry felt himself amazed at the size of the castle. The First Years reached the end of the lake and quickly entered into the hall. They were all standing around nervously until a Professor named McGonagall entered the room they were waiting in. She said,

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. I will return when we are ready for you."

Harry sighed as he heard the rest of the first years begin to chatter. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead in an effort to stave off his headache. His headache was promptly forgotten however, as several ghosts entered the room where the First Years were waiting. He watched in amusement as the ghost talked among themselves and to the students. Finally it was time.

Professor McGonagall came into the room and led them out into the main hall. She told them to stay put as she walked up onto the dais where there was a chair and a hat. She said to the hat,

"You may begin."

And the hat began to sing

_Oh you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all. _

_There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
if you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folks use any means  
To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap! _

Harry nearly felt himself faint at the absurdity of it all. A singing hat would decide his future? Absurd!

"Abbott, Hannah!" McGonagall called.

And so it went, several students were called and sorted. Harry just zoned out until the Hat called his name. He felt a prickling at his scar however, and looked up to see a Professor with a turban staring intently at him. He also noticed a man wearing all black robes staring at him with curiosity as well.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Severus Snape did not know what to make of young Harry Potter. The boy at first looked exactly like James Potter, the insufferable bastard. However, when Harry looked up at him, Severus nearly fled. Lily's eyes. He could never hate Lily's eyes. But then how could he not hate the spawn of James Potter?

Severus thought long and hard and finally decided that he would let the Sorting Hat choose. If the boy went into Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, he would treat the boy liked he had dreamed of for years, with hatred deserving an insufferable Potter. But if he went into Slytherin, highly unlikely, or Ravenclaw...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry wanted to ask the black haired man what he was thinking, but before he could give it much thought, he heard his named called. He walked up to the chair and sat down.

_"Ah, what do we have here?"_

_"Don't do that!" _Harry nearly said out loud.

_"Sorry, Mr. Potter. Now where to put you...my, my, you have some courage, but it is not your primary trait...and you have intelligence, but intelligence is just a means to an end for you...oh goodness, you have Loyalty yes; you do not trust easily, but once you do you are as loyal as Helga __Hufflepuff herself...And my! Ambition and cunning in spades...Where should I put you, young Mr. Potter...Hufflepuff or Slytherin?_

The Hat was silent as he listened to Harry's input. Finally it said..

"Better Be..."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I am doing my best! I should have the next chapter up within a week or two. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: One reviewer, who although was very critical of this story, brought up a good point in saying that both the Naruto series and the Jedi Apprentice novels were not around during the 1980's when Harry was a child. I am asking that you treat this as an AU and believe that those books/manga/movies came out when Harry was a child. Thank you. **

**On the note of reviews, I DO NOT accept flames. If you can't objectively review my story and point out both good and bad points, then don't review.**

**Also on pairing, I am firmly decided on Harry/Susan. While this chapter may make it seem like Harry/Hermione, it most assuredly is not. They are only friends.**

**Also, the award for first review goes to PoisinRose. Thanks very much for making this author's day. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story except the plot. I did copy some of this chapter directly from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. **

**Chapter 2**

_ To say that people were surprised at my sorting, would be an understatement. - Harry James Potter._

Harry wanted to ask the black haired man what he was thinking, but before he could give it much thought, he heard his named called. He walked up to the chair and sat down.

_ "Ah, what do we have here?" _the hat said as Harry put it on.

_ "Don't do that!" _Harry nearly said out loud.

_ "Sorry, Mr. Potter. I forget sometimes that a talking hat is quite abnormal in the muggle world. Now where to put you...my, my, you have some courage, but it is not your primary trait...and you have intelligence, but intelligence is just a means to an end for you...oh goodness, you have Loyalty yes; you do not trust easily, but once you do you are as loyal as Helga Hufflepuff herself...And my! Ambition and cunning in spades...Where should I put you, young Mr. Potter...Hufflepuff or Slytherin?_

_ "Well, I do have a large amount of ambition, but what do you mean I have loyalty? I have never been loyal to anyone in my life!"_

_ "Ha! Mr. Potter, you may not have been loyal to anyone in your life, but I don't just look at the past. I see how your traits will affect your future. Do you not remember what you told Ollivander about love? I believe your exact words were: '__I believe everyone has a soul mate out there and once you find that person you should stick with them. I believe love is a choice. Once you choose to love there is no going back. Even if you don't "feel" it, you should still choose to love.' Mr. Potter, that is loyalty if I ever saw it. Once you have found someone to love, you will be loyal to the death. Now, where do you __want to go? _

_ "I get to choose?"_

_ "Yes, I do not so much as sort the students as I do help them sort themselves. Now where do you want to go? Slytherin, where you could become one of the most powerful wizards to ever walk this earth, yet you would be miserable and lonely for many years before you would find true friends? Or Hufflepuff, where you will become a moderately powerful wizard with more friends than I can count?"_

_ "Which house will I find love in?" _Harry asked thoughtfully. For while Harry had no current desire for a relationship, he knew he would one day desire one. And Harry was pragmatic if nothing else.

"_Hmm, all I can tell you is this, whatever house you are in, you will find the love of your life. Nothing can separate soul mates."_

_ "Then I want to be in Slytherin. I am willing to risk misery and loneliness for power."_

_ "Very well then, Mr. Potter. Now I have one piece of advice for you, Potter men are cursed to be with red heads; so keep your eyes open for the red heads in this school! Now..."_

"Better be..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Great Hall was growing restless. Many of the students found them whispering among themselves. What was taking so long? Even the Professors had started to gossip. Only Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape remained quiet, both of them staring intently at the hat. This would be the defining moment.

"Better be...SLYTHERIN!" the Hat cried out.

The Great Hall was silent for a minute, but then it registered what the Hat had said.

"Traitor!" A Gryffindor jumped up and yelled.

Harry looked at the Gryffindor with venom. How could he be a traitor? He never wanted to be a Gryffindor in the first place.

The Great Hall was in an uproar. Practically every student was yelling. Finally, it became too much. Dumbledore stood up from his seat and in a powerful voice said,

"ENOUGH! The Sorting Hat has made its decision. Mr. Potter, if you will take your seat at the Slytherin table?"

Harry nodded at the ancient wizard and walked over to where the House of the Snakes sat. He noticed that when he sat down, every other Slytherin did their best to scoot away from him. _Oh well, _Harry thought, _Its no different than the rest of my life._

Harry patiently waited for the rest of the First Years to be sorted. As he waited, he looked up at Filius Flitwick, the man who had taken him to Diagon Alley. The half-goblin gave Harry a brief smile and a nod, which Harry returned. Harry also noticed a Professor who was wearing a turban sitting next to Flitwick. Harry felt a twinge of pain in his scar when he locked eyes with the professor. Once the boy averted his eyes, however, the pain disappeared. Harry observed the different Professors and took note of each of their appearances.

Professor McGonagall, the woman who had brought the First Years into the Hall, was an elderly woman with an almost feline grace about her. Then there was Professor Dumbledore who wore robes like what muggles expected Merlin to have worn, with stars surrounded by blue. Next there was Flitwick and the turban Professor who Harry had quickly overheard from one of the students was named Professor Quirrel. Professor Quirrel seemed very nervous about something from what Harry could tell. Sitting next to Quirrel, was a giant of a man. Harry did not know his name, but he looked like a kind man.

Then there was the dark haired man. The man wore all black robes and had pale, sallow skin with greasy hair. Harry decided that he would do his best to learn about the man. The man seemed to be the one he had the best chance of approaching about learning the Dark Arts.

Seeing that Harry was staring at him, Severus gave a brief nod in Harry's direction and decided to find out what sort of boy Harry was; Severus nearly felt himself smile as he did a brief scan of Harry's thoughts. While Severus could not fully enter the mind of anyone without using the incantation for Leglimency, he could briefly scan thoughts just by looking at his target's eyes. _Harry, you are so much like Lily it almost pains me, _thought the Potion's Master.

"Is everything alright, Severus," Dumbledore asked as he had noticed that Severus was surprisingly calm about Harry being in his house.

"Everything is fine, Headmaster."

"Oh, and what is your opinion on Mr. Potter being sorted into your house?"

"It should be interesting to see if he is worthy of being in Salazar Slytherin's house," Severus replied evasively.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he sensed that the animosity he had been expecting from Severus would not be appearing. Perhaps Harry being sorted into Slytherin would be a good thing? He would have to keep his eye on young Harry though, to prevent him from falling too deeply into the Dark Arts.

For Dumbledore knew the fascination young Harry held for the Dark Arts. A subtle scan of young Harry's mind had revealed a desire for power and control, which worried Dumbledore slightly; yet Dumbledore had also seen in young Harry's mind a vast capability for love. And that was why Dumbledore was not going to interfere, young Harry was much like Severus. They were both dark, yes, but they were also loyal to a fault. Ah, the sorting was over. It was time for his speech!

"Welcome," he said, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

Harry looked at Dumbledore in amusement. The Headmaster was interesting to say the least. Harry was not quite sure if that was meant to be a joke or if the Headmaster really was crazy. Harry's thoughts were interrupted, however, when food appeared on the plates before him. Food! Glorious Food! And Harry's quickly began to eat. He did not care much for the vegetables, the texture of the vegetables made him gag, but he did enjoy the meats, fruits, and breads.

Harry noticed that all the Slytherins were talking amongst themselves and staring at him. Draco Malfoy had a particularity vicious smile on his face as he told the other Slytherins nasty things about Harry.

Young Harry sighed, perhaps it had not been the smartest idea to hex the young Malfoy on the train ride. _Oh well, whats done is done,_ Harry decided.

Harry ate for a little while, before laying back in his chair and sighed. Just as he was about to relax, Harry felt a cold chill run along his spine. He turned around to see a ghost staring at him. Harry nearly yelped, but remained as dignified as he could.

"Greetings, young Slytherin," the ghost said, "I am the Bloody Baron, the ghost of Slytherin house. I wish you luck and skill in your ambitions."

"Thank you," Harry replied.

"Good, you know respect, you will go far in life if you respect those in authority over you; just don't forget to keep a knife behind your back for when you can take their position. If you want it of course," the Baron said with a vicious smile.

Harry felt himself gulp, but did his best to remain calm. It was a ghost, it could not hurt him. Perhaps...

"Any other advice you might have for me sir?"

"Stay on Professor Snape's good side. He is the black haired man sitting next to Professor Dumbledore. You do not want to anger him. I wish you luck, young Slytherin."

And the Baron flew off to torment some other First Years.

Harry relaxed as he saw that he would not be bothered by the ghost anymore. Then the desserts appeared. Harry quickly helped himself to a chocolate pie that had appeared to his right. Finally, the feast was over.

Dumbledore stood up and the Hall quieted. The Headmaster said,

"Ahem, just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start of term notices to give you. First Years should notice that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that themselves."

Harry noticed that Dumbledore's eyes briefly fleeted in the direction of a pair of red-headed twins. _Must be troublemakers, _young Harry thought.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors."

Harry felt anger at this. How was he supposed to grow more powerful if he could not practice his magic? Perhaps the rule did not apply in the dorm rooms so he could practice there? Harry would have to ask one of the older students about this. He cringed, he did not like asking for help from anyone. Ah, Dumbledore was speaking again.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house team should contact Madame Hooch."

Harry briefly remembered that Quidditch was some sort of sport played on brooms. It did not interest him in the slightest.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Harry cocked his head at this. They had something deadly in a school of students? That did not sound very responsible.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song! Everyone choose a tune!" cried Dumbledore. Harry groaned. He hated singing like this. Not that he hated music, it was just that the cacophony of students would stress him out beyond belief. Hopefully his magic would help with the stress load...

And the students began to sing,

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, hoggy warty Hogwarts,  
Teach us something please,  
Whether we be old and bald,  
Or young with scabby knees,  
Our heads could do with filling,  
With some interesting stuff,  
For now they're bare and full of air,  
Dead flies and bits of fluff,  
So teach us things worth knowing,  
Bring back what we've forgot,  
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,  
And learn until our brains all rot.

Harry felt a headache building as the majority of the students finished the song. The red-headed twins, however, had chosen a slow funeral march for their tune and kept singing. Harry noticed that Professor Snape had a thin-lipped expression on his face while Dumbledore appeared to be ecstatic. So ecstatic it seemed, that he had taken to conducting the Twins with his wand and when they finished he clapped the loudest.

"Ah music," Dumbledore said wiping his eyes, "A magic beyond all that we do here. And now, bedtime! Off you trot!"

Harry quickly fell in with the other Slytherins who were following a prefect who had identified himself as,

"Connery, Sean Connery," the Prefect said in a deep British accent.

Harry just smiled at the dramatization the Prefect used in giving his name. He seemed to have a flair for theatrics, perhaps he would be an actor later in life?

Harry followed the prefect to the dungeons, until finally they stopped in front of a painting of a very old looking man dressed in blood red robes. Sean Connery quickly introduced them to the painting,

"This is a portrait of Salazar Slytherin's adopted son, Raistlin Majere. Raistlin was actually from another dimension, but was-"

"I can speak for myself, thank you very much, Mr. Connery! Now which of you young brats believe you are worthy to be in Slytherin's house?"

Draco Malfoy quickly walked forward and said,

"I am of the Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy. There is no doubt I am worthy!"

"Then you are a fool young Malfoy. You obviously lean only on your family name than your own prowess. Listen all of you, none of you are worthy to be called Slytherins yet. Slytherins have become Kings! Slytherins have literally become gods! I myself was once the God of Time. Prove yourself worthy of the Slytherin name, not by your petty blood status, but by your magical power alone. Listen closely to my advise, there is no good and evil, there is only power...and those too weak to seek it!"

Harry was entranced by Raistlin's words. He felt the power behind the portrait, and knew that Raistlin was serious when he had said that he was a god. Sean Connery listened politely to the portrait; Raistlin gave the same speech every year in hopes of finding a Slytherin worthy of the name. _Oh well, _thought Sean, _Time to enter the common room._

"Wonderful words as always, Master Raistlin. Now, may I give you the password so that we may enter?"

"Certainly, young fool!" Raistlin cackled as Sean's eye twitched.

"Very well then, the password is Golden Lion."

Draco Malfoy crinkled his nose at the password and asked,

"Should not the password be something more refined? Like silver snakes?"

"If anyone wanted to enter our common room, they would have to guess the password. And that is probably one of the first ones they would try you dolt!" Sean explained.

Draco scowled at Sean, but did not say anything more. The painting moved aside and the Slytherins entered the common room.

Harry was amazed at the warmth of the common room, nothing like the dank dungeons they had just traveled through. There were green couches in the center of the room, and a fireplace to the very back of the room. To Harry's right, he saw stairs leading up to what he assumed were the dorm rooms.

Harry's observations were cut short as Severus Snape entered the room, his robes billowing about him as he walked. Every first year was silent as the Potion's Master began to speak,

"Welcome to Slytherin House. You are here because the Sorting Hat saw the potential in you for greatness. That said, none of you are anywhere close to realizing that potential. It is my job to help you."

At this Severus's eyes briefly flashed to Harry.

"Now, for the house rules; first and fore mostly, I do not tolerate bullies. Bullies will soon find themselves in detention. A true Slytherin does not alienate potential allies. Secondly, all grievances you have with another student should be brought to myself. I do not want to see any of you fighting amongst yourselves. In this school," Severus said with disdain apparent in his voice as though he did not consider Hogwarts a school,

"Slytherins are the outcasts. The other Houses will hate you for being "Dark." Your only allies are other Slytherins. Slytherins stand together. I know this might sound more like a Hufflepuff trait, but consider it necessary for your own survival. And the last and final rule, any of you caught practicing the Dark Arts without the explicit permission and supervision of a Professor will find themselves wishing they had never come to Hogwarts. Since I am the only Professor on staff besides Headmaster Dumbledore who even knows a smidgen of the Dark Arts, I am also the only Professor who would give you such permission. And I do not give permission lightly. The only students I have ever allowed to practice the Dark Arts under my supervision are the ones who have scored an Outstanding on their Defense Against the Dark Art's O.W.L.'s taken in fifth year. So do not expect to begin learning the Dark Arts for many years. Now, I shall have meetings with each of you in the weeks to come to determine whether or not you are flourishing here at Hogwarts. I trust that each of you will obey these rules, or there will be dire consequences; now, off to bed!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As Harry lay in bed that night, his mind mused over the words of Severus Snape. He felt anger at the thought of not being able to practice the Dark Arts until his Fifth year, but decided that he could always learn the theory from books. And in the end, he thought, perhaps it would be better to just focus on the basics for now. Professor Snape obviously had a good reason for not wanting them to practice the Dark Arts yet; perhaps it was meant to encourage them to throw themselves wholeheartedly into their current studies?

_"Well then that is what I am going to do!_" thought Harry. He would become number one in all his classes!

That night as Harry slept, he dreamed of powerful spells and magical discoveries.

Harry woke the next morning to the unpleasant noise of a bell chiming throughout the Slytherin dorms. It seemed that it was time to wake up. Harry groaned. Did these people not realize the value of sleep! Precious, precious sleep!

Harry groggily drug himself out of bed and to the showers. He hated the fact that there was no privacy in the showers, but he quickly averted his eyes from the other naked bodies of other First Years. He did smirk however, as he realized that he was large where it counts compared to the other First Years. Today was going to be a good day, he thought.

That notion was foolishly destroyed, however, as on his way to the Great Hall he was ambushed by two Fourth Year Gryffindors.

"What do we have here, Peter," asked one of the Gryffindors maliciously.

"It seems to me, Cameron, that this little Slytherin is lost," Peter replied.

"I'm not los-"

"Langlock!" Peter said with a flick of his wand.

Harry tried to speak, but found his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. He felt fury enter his veins as he realized that he was completely at the mercy of these Gryffindors.

"Lets teach this slimy Slytherin traitor what happens when he tries to talk back."

The two Gryffindors grabbed Harry and pulled him into a secluded hallway. The two Gryffindor bullies then preceded to pummel Harry mercilessly with blows.

Harry's anger and shame built with each punch. The blow to his pride was far more painful than any other kind of pain he felt on his body. _Why can't I stop them! _Thought Harry, _I swore I would never let anyone control me again, yet here these Gryffindors managed to beat me before I even had my wand out. _

Harry began to cry tears of shame as the two Gryffindors pummeled him. Finally, after what seemed like hours, they left. As Harry lay there, he promised pain on those Gryffindors once he had learned more powerful magic. He would make them feel the same pain he felt!

Harry pulled himself up from the ground and limped toward the Great Hall, aware that breakfast was probably over, but hoping that he would still be able to get his schedule.

Severus observed the table of his Slytherins with concern. Harry was not there. _Lily was never late for breakfast, _Severus thought worriedly, _She had an appetite that would put that brat Ron Weasley to shame. And from what I saw last night at the Feast, her son has the same voracious appetite. Perhaps he just is a late sleeper?_

These rationalizations were soon thrown out the window, however, when Severus saw Harry limp into the Great Hall with a black eye. Severus felt an intense anger enter his heart. No one hurt his Slytherins! He would have to speak with Harry soon about who had done this; but knowing what he did about the boy from his Leglimency scan, Severus seriously doubted young Harry would tell him. The boy was too prideful.

"Looks like young Mr. Potter had an accident," Dumbledore said offhandedly.

Severus just shook his head. Despite being very wise and powerful, Dumbledore was also painfully oblivious to some of the darker aspects of human nature. Besides that, Dumbledore could not bear to hear anything spoken out against his lions. Therefore any chance Severus had of getting the culprits punished was severely diminished. That did not mean, however, that he could not help young Harry learn how to defend and take care of himself. Severus quickly picked up the schedules for his Slytherins and walked down to their table. He began passing them out, noticing the relieved look Harry had when the young boy saw he had not been too late to receive his schedule.

Severus walked over to Mr. Potter and handed him his schedule, saying,

"Your mother, who was in my year, was one of my best friends, Mr. Potter. I will not have her son being tormented by foolish children. Come by my office tonight, Mr. Potter, and I will take care of your bruise and teach you a simple spell to defend yourself."

"You knew my mother, Sir?" Harry asked hungrily. He knew nothing about his parents, and here was someone who had known his mother quite well.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, I did. Now off to class," Severus said sharply. Anger flickering in his eyes at what his brief Leglimency scan of Mr. Potter had revealed about two Gryffindors.

"Yes, Sir! Thank you, Sir!" Harry said promptly as he grabbed his schedule and walked off toward the first of his classes.

Severus turned his eyes towards the Gryffindor table and glared at Peter and Cameron. Those two would have a minor accident in potions today, Severus decided.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry sighed as he walked down the hallways towards his first class of Hogwarts, History of Magic. He entered the class and sat near the back, his pen (for he had found quills to be too hard to write with) and parchment on his desk ready to take notes. The rest of the students filed in shortly after, Gryffindors on one side of the room, Slytherins on the other side. Harry noticed that only one of the Gryffindors had the fore sight to pull out a quill and parchment. It was the bushy haired girl who had asked for help finding that toad on the train.

Harry sighed as he realized he might have some competition for first place in the form of that girl. Harry's thoughts drifted from thought to thought until he began to think about what Professor Snape had said about learning a new spell. Harry already knew some basic hexes like Rictusempra, the tickling charm, and Acer, the stinging hex, from his books. He also knew Langlock, the charm to stop someone from speaking, because of what the two Gryffindors bullies had done earlier that morning. Harry hoped that Professor Snape would either teach him a more powerful offensive spell, or a spell that could block other spells.

Harry's thoughts were cut short as Professor Binns floated through the wall. Harry's face showed complete surprise as he realized that the Professor for this class would be a ghost. _Makes sense, _Harry thought.

Harry's interest quickly faded as it soon became apparent that Professor Binns was as dead of a teacher as, well, a dead person. Harry pulled out the History book that they were supposed to be learning from and began to read. Just because the teacher was dull did not mean the subject was.

The young boy quickly found himself engrossed in stories of battles between powerful wizards and witches. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the Greek Gods of Mythology had in fact been extremely powerful wizards and witches.

The class ended much too soon for Harry's liking, as he had only read a fourth of the History book so far. Just as he was about to walk out he saw the bushy haired girl walk up to him and say bossily,

"Why did you not take notes? The Professor obviously had something important to say!"

"The Professor," Harry said curtly, "is a dead man who does not know how to make his subject interesting. I find it much more interesting to just read it from a book."

"You really shouldn't talk about Professors like that," the bushy haired girl replied, "Oh, by the way, my name is Hermione Granger. We did not get the chance to introduce ourselves on the train."

"I'm Harry Potter," Harry said in exasperation. He really just wanted to head to his next class.

Just as Hermione was about to say something else, Draco Malfoy chose this time to interrupt.

"Oh look what we have here, a mudblood and a blood-traitor. You should be ashamed of yourself, Potter."

Harry raised his eyebrow at what Draco said. He did not know what mudblood meant, but it obviously was not good from the way Draco was looking at Hermione. Well, if it ticked Draco off, then surely he was doing something right by befriending this girl.

"Sod off, Malfoy," Harry responded, "I can be friends with whoever I want to be."

Hermione's eyes lit up at the word friends. She had never had a friend before and craved affection.

"Pfft," Draco scoffed, "Fine, be friends with that mudblood. I care not!"

"C'mon, Hermione, lets head to our next class."

Hermione nodded and followed Harry. The two quickly found themselves discussing the history of the magical world. Harry had quickly said that his favorite wizard of all time had been Raistlin Majere-Slytherin, to which Hermione replied,

"Oh! The Dark Wizard of Dimensional Travel! He practiced some pretty dark stuff, but he was never overtly evil like some Dark Wizards have been. My favorite wizard of all time would have to be Rowena Ravenclaw. She was one of the most intelligent witches ever!"

Harry sighed as he recognized who Hermione reminded him of, Sakura Haruno from Naruto. Despite not having pink hair, they both relied on their knowledge rather than their skill. And that is when Harry realized he was doing that himself. Sure, he could have all the knowledge of spells he wanted, but if he did not train his body to move quickly then he was a sitting duck for the Unforgivables. Harry quickly decided that he would be training his body in the evenings after he had gotten his homework done. Maybe a run around the school would help?

"What are you thinking about, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Just thinking you reminded me of a character from this manga series I used to read."

"Oh! I love manga! Who do I remind you of?" Hermione's eyes lighted up.

"Sakura Haruno from Naruto."

"Haha, well if I remind you of Sakura, then you remind me of Shikamaru; a genius, but lazy."

"Hey! I'm willing to work hard to achieve my goals!" Harry said indignantly as they entered the Transfiguration classroom.

The two took their seats and got out their supplies for taking notes. They then began chatting eagerly about the Naruto series, completely oblivious to the looks both of them were receiving from the rest of the students and a cat sitting on the Professor's desk.

The cat, who was really Minerva McGonagall in her animagus form, nearly smiled as she observed Harry and Hermione talking together. Those two would be good friends she decide, despite the difference in houses. To say that she had been surprised when Harry had been sorted into Slytherin would be an understatement. However, she could see the Slytherin in him. He seemed cautious, almost paranoid. It made her wonder how he had gotten that black eye? Ah, Ron Weasley and Dean Thomas were late!

Ron and Dean ran into the room and were pleasantly surprised to see that the teacher was not there. They were not late! Ron walked over to the cat and petted it on the head, cooing,

"You are just a cute little kitty aren't you? Do you know where the old hag who is supposed to teach us is?"

At this the cat hissed at Ron and quickly transformed into Professor McGonagall. She said,

"I would prefer not to be refereed to as an "old hag," Mr. Weasley. Now that will be ten points from Gryffindor for your tardiness and rudeness. Take your seat."

Ron took his seat, and Harry nearly laughed as he saw how red Ron's face was. McGonagall began to teach,

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn here at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned. Now who can tell me Gamp's Law of Transfiguration and the five exceptions."

Both Harry and Hermione were the only ones to raise their hands. McGonagall looked at both of them and made a quick decision to avoid House conflict.

"Mr. Potter, first you will tell me Gamp's Law of Transfiguration; and then you, Miss Granger, will tell me the three exceptions."

"Gamp's Law of Transfiguration states that what powers magic has to create or destroy matter," Harry said.

"Very good, Mr. Potter. Do you think you could simplify that in terms not from the book?"

"Yes, Ma'am. Basically what it means is that Transfiguration has to either create or destroy. For example, if I was going to turn your desk into say...a dog...the process would go like this after I said the spell and used the correct wand movement: my magic would instantaneously destroy the desk and then immediately replace the desk with a dog. It is not so much transfiguration, as it is replacement. Another example would be transfiguring something to move like a statue or something. You would be destroying the statue itself, and replacing it with a statue that moves according to your will. Conjuration, a branch of transfiguration is a bit different. In it, you are replacing the air with something else. Very difficult."

McGonagall was dumbfounded, never had she heard a First Year explain Transfiguration so accurately. His theory was completely sound. Now all he needed was the will, the incantation, the proper wand movement, and the magical power to perform his transfigurations.

"Thirty points to Slytherin for your excellent explanation," McGonagall said without the slightest distaste in her voice. She knew the boy had earned it.

"Now, Miss Granger, would you please continue with the exceptions to Gamp's Law."

"Yes, Professor. The first exception is food. Food cannot be created from nothing. It can be summoned, it can be created from more food, but it cannot be created from nothing. The second exception is love. You cannot create or destroy love. The third and final exception is life. You cannot create or destroy life. You can create things that simulate life, but never can you create actual life."

"Excellent work, Mrs. Granger. Thirty points to Gryffindor for your explanation as well. Both of you have obviously been studying ahead. Now, would everyone please copy everything on the board about Gamp's Law."

For the next twenty minutes that is what they did. Harry quickly found himself bored, however, he already knew this stuff. Why could he not move onto the actual transfiguration?

McGonagall noticed the vacant look in his eyes, however and promptly walked over to him and said quietly,

"Since it is obvious you already know this, perhaps you would like to go ahead and start on actual transfiguration?"

Harry quickly nodded his head yes. McGonagall gave him a tooth pick and told him to turn it into a needle while giving him the incantation and wand movement.

Harry took a deep breathe and said quietly while envisioning the tooth pick being destroyed and replaced with a needle,

"Verto Postulo."

The tooth pick took on a shiny sheen and appeared to be sharper, but Harry could tell it was not a true needle. He tried again,

"Verto Postulo."

This time the tooth pick became a complete needle. McGonagall, who had been watching, let out a gasp. Not even James, Harry's father, had had this much skill with transfiguration. She said,

"Excellent work, Mr. Potter. Another ten points to Slytherin. Now lets see if you can turn it back. The incantation for this is Reverto Postulo!"

Harry quickly tried, and was satisfied with seeing the needle turn back into a tooth pick. Harry smiled.

The rest of the day went much like this. Charms class was a breeze for Harry; the charm they learned was Wingardium Leviosa, a spell which levitated an object. Harry had already performed the Accio charm, which was much more advanced and received points for performing Wingardium Leviosa on the first try.

The worst class, Harry found, was herbology. He simply did not enjoy the class. He did not care to get himself dirty with plants. Nevertheless, Harry found that he did adequate in that class. He did not earn any house points, but he still performed well enough.

Finally, all the classes of the day were over and Harry found himself longing for dinner. Despite this longing, however, Harry took a long jog around the castle. At the end, he was huffing and puffing, but he considered it well worth it to be able to increase his stamina.

That night at dinner, Harry found himself sitting by himself again. He was about to dig into the food, when Hermione sat down beside him.

"What are you doing?" Harry hissed at her.

"Sitting next to my friend of course!" Hermione replied in a huff.

Harry groaned.

"If you sit here, the Gryffindors will label you as dark."

"I don't care. I want to sit here and that is that."

And so Harry and Hermione began to chat about Naruto.

Severus observed Harry sitting with Hermione and remembered a time when he was the outcast Slytherin with a muggle born friend. Such happy times...

"Severus!" McGonagall interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes, Minerva," Severus said icily.

"Were you listening? I said that Harry is a natural at Transfiguration. The boy has more skill than his father at the subject."

"He is also quite skilled in charms!" Filius put in.

Severus smirked.

"So I take it he earned Slytherin some points today?"

McGonagall grimaced.

"Yes, Severus, all in all, he earned Slytherin around fifty points today. But enough on that, the boy is a magical prodigy that should be nurtured. He would only suffer under some of our teachings, he needs someone who would be able to teach him more advanced magic or you can rest assured he will get himself up in trouble."

"Which is why I have already set up a tutoring session with him tonight, Minerva," Severus responded.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he said,

"Oh, and what are you planning on teaching him, Severus."

"Some simple charms and transfiguration. I will find out this Friday whether or not he has any skill with potions. If he does, I will add that to our tutoring sessions."

"Very good, Severus. I look forward to seeing Harry blossom under your care," Dumbledore replied.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry knocked on Professor Snape's office door. It would be interesting to see what Professor Snape would teach him tonight.

"Come in."

Harry opened the door to see the room filled with shelves of potions ingredients. But in the center of the room were some ritualistic drawings that sent a shiver down Harry's spine. In the middle of the drawings, stood Severus Snape.

"Welcome, Mr. Potter. I have heard some excellent things from your teachers. You have the basic theory and spells down; and that is all swell and fine if you want to be an adequate wizard. However, you don't want to be an adequate wizard do you, Mr. Potter?"

Harry felt himself smirk at this, an altogether foreign expression on his face; but Harry found he liked the expression. It expressed himself quite well.

"No, Sir," Harry replied, "I want to be a powerful wizard!"

"Excellent," Severus said, "And then the first thing I am going to teach you is to master your mind. To be a powerful wizard, you must have control. And control comes from the mind. For every night from here on out, I want you to spend one hour in meditation. What I want you to do in your meditation is this, sort your memories. Go through every memory you can remember and infuse it with the power of your magic. Once you have done this, come back to me and I will tell you what to do next."

"Um, Sir," Harry said, "Is this a step in learning Occulumency?"

Severus's eyes widened a fraction of an inch. Of course he should of known that Harry would know about Occulumency.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, it is. It takes many years to master Occulumency; and I doubt you will be more than adequate at it by the time your fifth year comes around, but it is a necessary skill for a powerful wizard to learn. Now onto the spells I am going to teach you tonight! You got that bruise from bullies, yes? Don't lie Potter!"

"Yes, sir," Harry said with shame.

"Do not be ashamed, Mr. Potter. You are a First Year with no magical training. Of course you would be defeated, but I aim to change that. I am going to teach you two spells and then I shall teach you the basics of dueling!"

Harry's eyes lighted up at the thought of learning magic.

"The first spell I am going to teach you is Protego, the shielding charm. It is not normally taught until Fourth Year, but I believe it should be taught sooner. Now the incantation is, like I said, Protego. The wand movement is like this."

So saying, Professor Snape made a movement with his wand like he was parrying a sword.

"Now you try. Imagine a crescent shaped shield protecting you."

Harry began.

"Protego!"

Nothing happened.

"Again Potter! I will have you learn this spell if it takes all night!" Severus yelled in encouragement.

Harry tried again, this time imagining a solid wall protecting himself.

"PROTEGO!"

This time, half a shield appeared.

"Again!"

Several more tries and Harry had it.

"Now," Severus said, "Lets see how strong that spell is!"

"Expelliarmus!" Severus cast the disarming hex at half speed.

Harry quickly performed the Protego spell; but was shocked when his shield broke and the spell hit him, effectively disarming him.

Severus picked up Harry's wand and observed it, surprise showing on his face at the dark wand.

"Ash wood, and if I'm not mistaken, there is the smell of vampire blood in it. A very dark wand indeed Mr. Potter. Now, let me tell you why you were not able to block my spell. First and for mostly, I am an adult wizard. Most adult wizards have five times the magical power of a first year. A moderately powerful wizard like myself has twenty times, while a wizard like Professor Dumbledore would have fifty to sixty times the power of a first year. You simply cannot hope to match up to my magical power yet. Given time and practice, your Protego spell would be able to block me."

"Well then," Harry thought for a second, "How would I defend against an adult wizard?"

"Firstly, run. At your age you cannot hope to stand against an adult wizard. Secondly, practice. Magic is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. Also, there are stronger shielding spells you could use like Protego Duo or Protego Maximus; however, I highly doubt any first year could successfully cast either of those spells. They simply require too much from your meager magical core. Now, onto the next spell, the one I just used. Expelliarmus is the disarming spell. With it, you can disarm anyone of their weapon or wand."

"Um, what about their fists?" Harry cringed at the question he had just asked.

Severus looked thoughtful for a moment before replying,

"You are correct that you would not be able to disarm someone of their fists. It seems like I shall have to teach you two more spells. Lets work on Expelliarmus first and then we can work on the next one."

Harry and Professor Snape worked for about thirty minutes before Harry finally mastered the Expelliarmus spell. Then Professor Snape moved onto the next spell,

"Stupefy, the stunning spell, is one of the most used spells by Aurors; and also the most useless. In a life or death fight, I never want to see you using stupefy unless you think it will allow you to follow up with a more powerful spell. Stupefy is best used when you don't want to do meaningful harm to your opponent. Now..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That night, Harry fell into bed, completely exhausted. It had been a busy night. He had only learned three spells, but they were incredibly useful. He fell asleep almost instantly.

The rest of the week past by uneventfully. Peter and Cameron had attempted to bully Harry again, but were quickly sent running once Harry disarmed them and sent a few stinging hexes their way.

Harry continued spending time with Hermione, and felt himself growing attached to the young girl. She was his first friend and he knew he was hers too. The two received lots of jeering from both Gryffindors and Slytherins, but they ignored all of it.

The young boy also continued his morning runs and he noticed a marginal increase in his stamina. He knew that it would gradually grow strong and it would improve his speed when it came to dueling.

In terms of dueling, Professor Snape had not taught Harry any new spells; but he had been teaching him how to duel. Professor Snape would have Harry send spell after spell (never being allowed to use the same spell in succession) at himself to increase Harry's spellcasting speed. So far Harry could only cast around thirty spells per minute, but he knew his spellcasting speed was gradually getting faster. Professor Snape had made it very clear that until Harry was older, he would not fight Harry in an all out duel.

That Thursday, Harry found himself in his first Defense Against the Dark Arts Class. He came in excited, and left disappointed. During the whole class, he had a terrible headache that he blamed to Professor Quirrel's stutter. He did not even learn any knew spells, just some stuff about pixies.

Harry got through the day and found himself looking forward to Friday when he would have Potions class.

Harry entered the class and took a seat next to Hermione, who smiled at him. The two quickly discussed what they wanted to learn from the class before Professor Snape billowed into the room. Professor Snape quickly called off the roll and began with a speech,

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potionmaking. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I do not expect you to really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses...I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Harry and Hermione were sitting at the edge of their seats as they listened to Professor Snape's words. This was magic in one of its purest forms!

"Potter!" Severus said suddenly in a desire to gain points for his house, "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"Draught of Living Death, Sir," Harry shot back.

"Where would I find a Bezoar?'

"Stomach of a goat, Sir."

"Difference between monkshood and and wolfsbane?"

"I think they are the same plant, Sir, but I am not certain."

"You are correct, Mr. Potter. Twenty points to Slytherin for your knowledge. Now why are the rest of you not writing this down?"

Harry smirked at Professor Snape's attitude. The Professor had told him to look through his potions book very carefully before coming into class today. Thank goodness he had.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Classes were easy. Professor Snape continued to tutor Harry and had even taught Harry the slicing charm Diffindo, and Hermione was gradually becoming irritated with Harry being first in every single class other than Herbology. It was the only class she was better at than him. One day, she broke down while they were walking to dinner,

"Harry! I can't take it anymore! Why do you have to be so smart? I've always been the smart one! It is what makes me special!"

"Hermione," Harry said sternly after a brief awkward couple of minutes, "Your smarts are not the only thing that make you special. You have other traits like a dry sense of humor and you look up to authority. You are a good person."

Hermione brightened up after this and gave Harry a hug.

The rest of the months passed by uneventfully. Flying lessons, which Harry found he detested, came and went. School passed by and everything was alright. Harry did hear a rumor flitting about from the Gryffindors Ron Weasley and Dean Thomas that on the third floor corridor was a giant three headed dog, but Harry paid it no mind. There was also a notice in the paper about a Gringotts break in, which Harry also ignored. Any bank could be broken into.

Finally it was Halloween time. There was going to be a large feast for all the students. Harry decided not to go to the feast, despite Hermione begging him to come. He wanted to relax in the common room and privately mourn his parents death, since they had died on this exact day.

Harry lay on one of the green couches in the common room contemplating his life and how his life would have been so different if his parent were still alive. Harry was just about to fall asleep on the couch when he heard a bunch of students burst into the dungeons.

"What now?" Harry groaned.

"Ha, your mudblood friend is lost in the school, Potter. And guess what, a troll is on the loose," Malfoy spat.

Harry looked at Malfoy in confusion and then realized from the looks on the faces of the other Slytherins that it was true. Harry ran past them and out the common room door.

_Where would Hermione go? _Harry thought. Just as he was pondering what to do, he heard a scream come from his right near the girl's lavatory.

Harry ran into the bathroom to find the troll stand over a very frightened Hermione; Harry stood there stunned as the troll swung its club down. Harry quickly pulled out his wand and gave the incantation for Wingardium Leviosa, thinking that he would be able to levitate the club up.

He was too late, however. The club came crashing down onto Hermione's head, splattering her blood and brain matter against the wall. And then the troll saw Harry.

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Yes, Hermione is dead. I felt it was necessary for Harry's character development. Please Read and Review! **_


	3. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

** Okay, I would first of all like to apologize to all of my readers of this story. I have just completely lost inspiration for this story as well as all of my others. Which is why I am currently offering all of my stories up for adoption. I am going to be devoting the majority of my time from here on out to both real life and a single story I am going to write. This story that I am going to devote my time to will be a Naruto Alternate Universe in which Sasuke Uchiha becomes the holder of the Nine-Tailed Fox. I know that this has been done before, but none of those stories had the seriousness required of a truly great story. I do not mean to demean those authors, but I felt that the majority of them did not do the idea justice. So I am going to be undertaking this massive project. Please read and review this story and give me your support. I am a high maintenance author and I crave reviews. Anyways, the story "Sasuke of the Kyuubi" should be up within the next few days. Thank you so much for your understanding.**


	4. Adopted

This story has been adopted by Taylor1991 with my full permission. Please check out the first chapter this author has posted. I wish Taylor1991 the best of luck as they write this fic.


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